Overview of the Book of Daniel

The Book of Daniel as Exilic Prophecy and Kingdoms Rising and Falling

The overview of the week for this Sunday is the book of Daniel. Daniel was a prophet of God who, like Ezekiel, wrote while in exile in Babylon. So that would place this writing in the 6th century BC. The theme of the book of Daniel has been described as the rise and fall of kingdoms.

Daniel has been seen sort of as the Old Testament equivalent to the New Testament book of Revelation. And if you're familiar with the concept, as I know most of you are, of the seven-year tribulation, who's heard of the seven-year tribulation period?

Maybe you've read through the New Testament and you've, where does that come from? I've never seen that. Well, it comes from the book of Daniel, an interpretation of chapter 9, the prophecy of the 70 weeks.

So Daniel is a very important book on Bible prophecy. Daniel was taken to Babylon as a young man where, like Joseph in Egypt, he rose to power through his ability to interpret dreams. While in Babylon, Daniel refused to give up his faith.

Daniel’s Faithfulness in Babylon

Chapter 1 tells us that he purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank. So Daniel in Babylon continued to follow the law of Moses, even when he was pressured not to.

And when you, most of you are familiar with this story, when his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were told that they must bow down to the golden image, which was an idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected, the king said either bow down to the image or you will be thrown into the furnace of fire.

Well, guess what? They didn't bow. And when they were put into the fiery furnace, Christ appeared and kept them safe and delivered them. Later on, the Lord also sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions when Daniel was thrown into the lion's den.

Why? Because he continued to pray and practice his faith openly, even when it was illegal. So based on all of that, Daniel is a great encouragement and example for us all. And after seeing the witness of that with the lion's den, the the king decreed that in, he wrote, in every dominion of my kingdom, men must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God.

Daniel, Jesus, and Revelation in End-Times Prophecy

And that was based on Daniel's witness. Jesus referenced Daniel in his prophecy about the end times in Matthew chapter 24, warning about the coming of Antichrist and the abomination of desolation. So between Daniel, the words of Jesus, the John, and the book of Revelation were given sort of like a roadmap, a prophetic timeline of successive world empires, where at the end of days, Christ will return, defeat all of his adversaries, and establish his earthly kingdom, which shall last for 1 ,000 years.

In this final chapter of Daniel chapter 12, an angel tells the prophet, he says, shut up the words and seal the book of his prophecy until the time of the end. Compare this to Revelation 22 10, the last chapter of Revelation, where the angel tells John, do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.

Daniel and Revelation as a Shared Prophetic Timeline

So if you want to know the future of God's plan for this world in the end times, take Daniel and Revelation. They go together.